They Don't Respect the Gods Anymore
by vanilla.vera
Summary: After the War with Gaea, The Seven and the campers have to deal with PTSD. This is what their life could be like if we concentrated on how exactly countless battles and death have hurt the happy campers.
1. After the War

Hello! This is my first fanfic- like ever. (gods it's weird to say it when I've read so many fanfics with authors who've said it) anyways, I hope you guys like this- it's the idea that no one really escapes war. The campers aren't gonna have to not deal with seeing their dead friends and family whenever they close their eyes and etc. PLS PLS review (even weirder) it'll make me a better writer (and I bet a lot of people are too scared to post anything because they think their work wouldn't be enough- or at least that's how I feel, but that's not the point), flames (so much weirder) will be accepted but I tend to not pay attention to them if they are mean- and of course you have to tell me if I misspelled something or I got a fact wrong (oh gods that'd be terrifying). I will shut up now. Except that I hope to have a second chapter up within the next month (I know so long right?) but since I am busy and my best friend (and proof-reader) won't help me out I don't know exactly when- the second chapter should be about the relationships between friends- if I manage to write it. I hope you guys like it, and if you don't then I hope you guys tell me why. Enjoy! (omg I'm turning into one of them) (pls ignore my commentary)

I also just wanted to put this out there, this was not intended to be a happy story. It does tend to get a bit dark. It is also just how I see it. Thank you!

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None of them respect the gods anymore. They tend to avoid the Empire State Building, even if some of them have never been, they try to stay away from the gods. They don't pray to them anymore either. Everyone flinches at the sight of blood in their eyes. The war never really leaves them. They love their friends, but sometimes, it's too hard to be around each other. Leo still cracks jokes but doesn't even smile. None of them smile for a very, very long time. None of them really eat anymore. They jump at loud noises and sudden movements. And shadows. They have the worst nightmares. They don't sleep for a week after the war until exhaustion forces them to. They only sleep if they know they won't see their friends in pain and dying when they close their eyes. Percy spends hours punching a bag. Sometimes, more often than not, the others join him. Their mortal families are scared to approach them, terrified to accidentally say the wrong thing. Someone suggests they go to school in February, a couple of months after the war, to get used to normal life. They spend a lot of their time fighting or in detention. Sometimes the nurse and the guidance counselor's because they had a flashback or a panic attack. Anything can get them angry. The teachers don't understand. They never will. The group can sometimes spend hours not talking. Especially after a panic attack. Except for Leo. Leo doesn't stop talking. They mindlessly trace their significant other's scars, the ones that brought them too close to death.

The war hit them hard. Too hard. People start to doubt their leadership skills but stopped when Percy helps protect a new camper. They never doubt again. But they still whisper at how his eyes glow a poison green in battle and how he could control the opposing side with their blood. Or at how Annabeth snarled too much like the monsters, too animalistic. Or at how Leo became a human blowtorch, a pillar of fire, reaching for the heavens, defying the heavens. Or at how Hazel grew her impenetrable plate of armor out of gems in seconds. Or at how Frank became bigger and redder and _scarier_. Or at how Jason became so electrified he could stop your heart if you stood too close. Or at how Piper made half of the monsters fall asleep with just a touch. Or at how Nico became the shadows and it was impossible to see him, even if he was right in front of you.

Percy and Annabeth don't look before crossing the street. They don't take care of themselves. Their parents and friends have to remind them to shower and to eat. They don't taste the food. After the first night, when they fell on the food like wolves, they skip meals. They stand next to each other whenever they are in the same room and they are very rarely in different rooms. They sit outside of the bathroom when one is in there. They sleep with a night light. But it has to be blue. Not red. If they aren't in the same house, same room, they don't sleep. Anything can set them off. The color red. Fire. Blood. Monsters. Owls. Mentions of curses. Mentions of Gaea or Tartarus or Greece or Rome. Mentions of Greek gods can also set them off but it's irregular. Annabeth stopped drawing buildings. And temples. And statues. She just stopped drawing. The one time she did try, all that came out was so terrible it gave her parents terrible nightmares. Percy stopped jumping into the water with the glee of a 5-year-old. He blanches at the idea of deep mud. He jumps and attacks if someone touches the small of his back. Cowers when someone touches his scars. All of their friends learned not to separate them if they weren't ready and to not come up from behind. Percy has anger management issues. Annabeth is the only one who can calm him down, except sometimes Piper or Sally. Annabeth is also known to punch someone for being too close. Both Percy and Annabeth flinch at blue eyes, salt-pepper hair. They cannot go underground for at least a year. Annabeth still has a slight limp on hard or rainy days. She swore to never touch a loom ever again. It takes them a couple of years to even say the cursed word and almost half a lifetime to even talk about what happened without shaking. Dreams of Gabe came back. He always asks Annabeth if she loves him every time after he wakes up. Her heart breaks every time. They develop asthma, their lungs never fully recovering from the acid air, Percy feels like the only moments he can fully breathe is in the water.

Piper dumped her knife overboard somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle when she visited. Threw it as hard as she could is a better description. She stated that she never wants anyone to have such a cursed blade. She flinches when it rains too suddenly. It takes her at months for her to even consider wearing a bit of makeup. She sleeps a lot in Cabin One. She claims the perfume in her own cabin is too much, but everyone knows it's because her boyfriend is there. If you point directly at Jason, he stiffens and it takes a second for him to relax. He'll sometimes touch the side of his head, where the bullet cut his hair and won't speak for a couple of minutes. He sometimes reaches for his pocket when threatened, and then remembers his coin was destroyed. His bones still ache when it rains, remembering when he was old. He panics at the hallucination of white hair on his head. He starts to fear growing old. Piper and Jason still stall on stairs going underground. They break up, claiming they need space. Jason becomes more reckless. It eventually kills him. He waits patiently for a certain kaleidoscope eyed person. Piper never married, her love undying and blinding any other man.

Hazel never eats pomegranates ever again. She never goes to Alaska again either. She tries not to go too north in general. She doesn't eat cereal. If she had a really bad day or was really tired, anything that reminds her of Sammy will make her stop was she was doing for a moment and squeeze her heart. She did go to her old house again. She spent an hour looking at all the old pictures and drawings. Then she lit the house on fire. She watched until it was gone. She didn't speak for a week after. She sometimes can't tell the difference between the real world and a fake one and will panic. She leaves a room if someone starts to talk about spirits and witches. She's too uncomfortable. She still holds some old traditions from when she was younger. She blushes at too much nudity. She curtsies. She says "ma'am" and "sir" to her elders. She blanches when she sees women in the streets jingling their bracelets and charms, claiming they are good luck. She tries to avoid them. When she hugs her brother, she grips him tightly, like she doesn't want to let go. She knows she eventually has to. She just doesn't want to do it at that moment. When Nico eventually leaves, she clutches a bulldog. She spends a lot of time with that bulldog. Or a cat that looks strangely similar. Frank spends a lot of time as an animal. He flinched at cows. He decides to never become one. And green smoke. He always looks back, as if expecting someone to be there, ready to scold him as his Grandmother once was. He always wonders if it is her when he sees a crow. He sleeps at the foot of Hazel's bed as a bulldog. He doesn't really ever go to aquariums anymore. Or at all really. He doesn't allow his kids to get any koi fish. He still gets migraines if there are too many noises. He prefers silence. He stares too long into a fire to be normal but at a safe distance. He doesn't get too close. He starts to panic. He glances a lot at Hazel, needing confirmation at what he said. He rarely gets mad or raises his voice but when he does, he starts to glow red around the edges. Percy and Annabeth have a hard time looking at him when he's like that. Hazel once asked her dad if she could see her mom in the fields of punishment. After careful deliberation, he decides to let her. She stares at her for a full minute, hugs her once, then turns around and never looked back.

Leo doesn't really like snowstorms anymore. His entire closet consists of fireproof clothing. He still gets too excited. But those moments are rare. It takes Calypso to draw him out of his workplace. He can go days and nights without sleep or food or water. He doesn't realize how much time passed until he collapses or someone reminds him. He never stops moving. Ever. Always tapping his foot or fingers or tinkering. Never stops. Always had to have sound as well. If it's too silent, he'll start to panic a bit and have to move around even more or leave. Calypso needs Leo to tell her where he's going and when he'll be back. She panics a bit when he or anyone else is late. She regrets the curse. Even if she forgave the girl for it, it still takes Annabeth years to stop dreaming about it.

Nico becomes claustrophobic. It takes him a year to be able to even enter a walk-in closet. Whenever he has a panic attack or a nightmare or a flashback, the only thing that can calm him down are pomegranates but he always eats them with a sour face. He's always cold to touch. Like dead body cold. He likes to touch Will as much as possible. He fades in and out as if succumbing to the shadows. The only people able to bring him back are Hazel or Will. He "eats" with the Apollo cabin. He doesn't really eat anymore either. He sometimes dreams of corn. It confuses Will when he mutters "corn" over and over in his sleep until he explains it. It takes him a very long time to fully open up to Will. For a long while, he was afraid to come out, his past still with him. At first, he was too scared to even hold Will's hand outside of camp.

Grover doesn't try to recreate the broken empathy link for a couple of years, fearing to see too many horrible things. He thinks himself a coward. Tyson visits his brother more often and is heartbroken when he isn't really there anymore. Thalia and her hunters go for their bows faster than ever. Some sleep with them still on their backs. The fingers of Will and the healers of the Apollo cabin move when they sleep, fixing and mending fake injuries. Reyna pushes her officers more than necessary, determined to make sure no one makes any mistake. She demands nothing less than perfection. Hedge stopped watching so many karate movies, having seen enough in real life. Sally Jackson-Blofis very occasionally gets panic attacks when Percy disappears for more than a day. All of Paul's colleagues wonder what happened to make him look so haggard and make his hair prematurely grey. Frederick Chase stops playing with his toy soldiers when he learned of what happened, feeling like it isn't an accurate description of war. Tristan Mclean dreams of big purple giants eating him. He refused any acting job relating to Greek or Roman mythology.

The others went through something terrible too, screams were common at night, malnourishment and dehydration was a common illness at the Apollo cabin, but they also knew that the Seven and Nico gave up part of their own humanity to save the collective humanity of the world. And if they were pushed too hard, they will snap and become a monster too terrible to defeat.

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oh gosh (damn it me) I hope this was interesting/fun/thought-provoking to read and pls pls tell me what I am doing wrong (or right). Till next time (damn I've become stereotypical. oh well- too much fun).


	2. The Seven and their Godly Parents

**hello again! how are you? how has waiting been? I'm actually quite proud of myself because I said I'd post before the end of the month, and I did! yay me! anyways, this chapter is about how the Seven (no Nico this time sorry) feel about their parents. This is, of course, how _I _would feel if I were them, and it could be completely not what you guys think, so please don't hate on me if you don't think the way I do. Plus if I do write any (real) stories in the future, this might not apply to it either (I don't know). Please review because that is what makes me better and omg thank you so much for the reviews! When I got my first one soon after I posted (it was like 1 in the morning for me) I was so excited that I spammed my best friend (and also proof-reader) so much, despite her being asleep like I should've been. And then I got like 2 more reviews 2 weeks after I posted (and I didn't think I would get anymore) I loved it and honestly, they helped me so much to actually write. so I now have written a paragraph longer than some of the actual paragraphs in my story so I will stop now. Thank you so much for all the favs and follows and reviews because I love those and make me so happy.**

**I didn't do this last chapter because I forgot but; disclaimer: I own nothing (but maybe one day)**

**If you ignored my entire chunk of words up top I cannot blame you, but either way: enjoy!**

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Percy doesn't necessarily hate his dad after the war but he resents him. He isn't mean or hostile to Poseidon, but he isn't casual. Percy resents him for asking so much of him, for asking him to fight in 2 wars, to be dragged into the mythological world only to prove his innocence. He resents the god for not helping the thousands of demigods that died fighting the gods' war. The demigods never asked to be born of a godly parent and then die because of it. Percy resents his dad for being a god, for leaving him and his mom alone. But he doesn't hate his dad. He knows that if the god asked, if he was needed, he would come without much hesitation. Percy's loyalty only goes so far, but for his father, it tends to stretch a bit more than for others. Poseidon regrets causing this sentiment, especially considering Percy is his only son. He tries to connect but Percy refuses to talk- unless there's an emergency. The god swears on the River Styx that any future sons or daughters will never resent having him as a father.

Annabeth thanks her mother. She still respects her mother. But it becomes a bit hard to look at her without remembering the harsh words that the goddess told her daughter, without remembering the hateful glares. Sometimes Annabeth has nightmares of disappointing her mother. She never really told anyone, but Athena was one of her idols, someone she looked up to as a kid. Athena tries after the war. She tries to connect with Annabeth and her kids. Gives them gifts in the form of compliments. But sometimes, Annabeth wonders if it's a way to ease her guilt of sending her kids to die. Annabeth finds she doesn't mind when Athena stops by, despite trying to avoid the gods.

Jason hates his father. Hates, even in the afterlife. At one point, Jupiter tries to go down to Elysium to visit him, with Pluto's approval. Jason, upon knowing that the "special" guest is his father, refuses to see him. Jupiter tries for a long while, guilty by the death of his favorite son. He only backs off after Jason yells at him about what happen with Hercules and how bad of a father he is and how selfish and mean and arrogant and self-centered and narcissistic and bossy and- oh his rant goes on for _hours. _Jupiter asks what he could do to help and is responded with a stiff glare in his direction and a snarky, _stop thinking you're the best._ Jason was kind of tempted to ask for his life back, but could never be so selfish (in his opinion) when they are plenty of other people that would love the opportunity to go back to the land of the living. Jupiter understands how his son felt and quietly pleaded to his brother to bring back the hero- without letting him know that the Great King of the Gods had nearly gone to his knees to plead on his behalf. Jason stills knows it's him when he one day appears in front of an apartment door and he looks a bit older and when he knocks, a pretty, shocked face and kaleidoscope eyes stare at him. He then vaguely thanks his dad, but their relationship has not, and probably will never be, improved beyond than that.

Piper understands her mother after the war. She stopped believing that love and beauty are useless. Of course, Piper sometimes hates her mother for making her love story tragic. She hates her mother for letting Jason die, for letting her let go of the love of her life. But she understands the importance of love, she understands why the Great Aphrodite is an Olympian. She understands how love is the most powerful force in the world, especially during the weeks, months after Jason's death. She understands the second she sees him and realizes he's not an illusion. Sometimes Aphrodite does her daughter's makeup and clothes, for special occasions, feeling responsible for her daughter's previously broken heart. Piper half-heartedly curses her, but her insides warm when someone compliments her mother's work, knowing it's her way of apologizing. At least the goddess knows her style and tries to work with that.

Frank and Mars have a more formal relationship. They don't know each other and don't really want to. But the pride is still there. Mars is proud to have fathered such a powerful and respected warrior, even if he is sometimes weirded out by his son's peaceful tendencies. Frank would always treat his father with respect despite him being the god of the very thing that killed his mother. Mars sometimes wonders if his son resents him for it, and the train of thought often leads to him resenting _himself _for the death of a good woman. When news of Hazel's pregnancy spread, Mars patted Frank twice on his back, said "good man, good man," and then stood there awkwardly as they tried to find a conversation topic and not look like they were trying to escape. One thing that Mars never liked about Frank and never would, was him being friends with Percy Jackson. While the god respected the hero, he found the boy impertinent. He thought that it was poor judgment on Frank's part. The blessing of Mars never left Frank, a sign that meant that his high opinion of his son never changed, even with his occasional bad judgment.

Hazel doesn't hate her father and has never resented him for her curse. She knew it was mostly her mother's fault, plus, she's never one to hold a grudge. Her brother asks that she visits their father occasionally and after a couple of years, she does. Pluto is shocked, not expecting her to just show up, but gladly invites her for tea. It eventually becomes a regular thing, coming for tea twice a week, to catch up, give each other a break from life. They become closer and tell each other practically everything. The first person Hazel tells, after Frank, when she gets pregnant, after Frank, is Pluto. He's overjoyed and terrified and proud and full of emotion when she told him, that Pluto, the feared, dark god of the Underworld, has tears in his eyes. They turn out to have the best parent-child relation, out of all the Seven and their godly parents.

Leo and Hephaestus don't have a normal father-son relationship. They don't even have a normal god-son relationship. Hephaestus is always a bit confused with what to say or do with Leo. Not quite sure how to tell him how proud he is of his son and his accomplishments. Leo feels the same way. He doesn't understand the idea of actually _having _a father. He spent 16 years without a father. But they work extremely well together. At one point, Hephaestus had a project that required an extra pair of hands and even though he could've just used an automaton, he was advised (by his wife- who actually likes him, contrary to popular opinion) to try to spend time with his children. They worked in silence except for the occasional, "good job" or remark. Leo left with a more complete heart, happy to have come, and Hephaestus stared at the spot where his son was, happy to have invited him, and planning to do so again.

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**hi. I hope you guys liked that, pls again review. Also just to clarify cause I didn't in my last chapter, PTSD does mean post-traumatic-stress disorder. and if you guys didn't catch it in the story, in this storyline, Jason was revived (oops spoilers for trials of apollo) because I was like noooo when I read it. anyways (i love saying that word apparently) I will also be posting another chapter in the next month or so (gotta have a deadline)**

**BYEEEE**

**(p.s.s.s. it's my birthday in 3 days and I'm really excited and I'll shut up now)**


	3. Nico has friends

**Hello again! So. I have this enemy. And its name is Procrastination. You may call it homework, laziness, Netflix, fanfiction. Also-ugh- finals. If you live in the US, you know how hard AP exams are. I know I said I would post before the end of May but, here we are. ANyways, this chapter is about the relationship between Nico and a few select friends. I don't know why this is so Nico-centric but I guess I just had enough ideas for it. I tried to break up the paragraphs, tell me if you guys like this formatting. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own a copy of the books, not the characters. Maybe for next year's birthday. **

Hazel and Nico spend long hours together, deep into the night. Playing Mythomagic, nerding out over various things, not regretting it the next morning when they have deep circles under their eyes. Shared happy meals, inside jokes. Nico created a skeleton kitten for Hazel and s/he _loved_ it. She named the kitten Ossium, bones in Latin. In return, she got him a tiny black kitten with a simple, but beautiful, gem collar. He named it Bianca, after their dead sister.

Nico was the second (third if she counts Frank) person she told about her pregnancy. He smiled so brightly, it rivaled his boyfriend's personality.

He learned about her pregnancy during their weekly tea/coffee meet up or phone call. Every Sunday at 5 p.m. eastern time. They'd catch up, rant to each other about annoying coworkers or stupid people on the subway, explain their problems, exchange advice, play games, gossip. And no one could stop them from having their "tea time" as they called it.

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Nico and Jason don't talk for years. Nico knows that Jason is not dead the second he appears on Piper's doorstep but after a tight, short hug and a "don't ever die again," Nico went back to half-ignoring the blond. Sure, they say hello whenever they see each other at the reunions, but they don't form a full connection.

Jason is always a bit protective of Nico, of course, even if it's from a distance. No one can witness such a monumental revelation for a person without feeling a bit protective. Jason understands that Nico wants a bit of space.

Nico doesn't really know how to thank Jason for helping him. They eventually managed to clear the air after so many years of dancing around the subject. After that, they would always talk during the monthly reunions, sometimes only to each other. They don't become only friends but also cousins. Bickering, supportive, annoying. Mainly there for each other.

With Percy, they go out every few weeks, to a bar, or a concert, and just generally chill. Not get drunk, but just mess with each other, tease, the usual guy stuff.

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Despite their similar tastes, Nico and Thalia don't actually become close for a long time. Thalia is always busy with the hunt and Nico does eventually get a job that takes a lot of their time. Of course, there was never a lot of grudges (except for the occasional "you stole my cookie!" "Haha!" moment). Whenever they met at Camp, for one reason or another, they would get along fine, they simply never really had the time.

That changes when they have to go hunt a particularly nasty monster together. The other hunters are a bit cold towards him and his male parts until he explained how he had absolutely no desire for women. The monster, a Laestrygone, was terrorizing people that got too close to his nest, which turned out to be a stadium, up near the Canadian border. Hades and Artemis had asked the cousins if they could go kill or move him. The late nights by the campfire, laughing, the inside jokes between them, and the near-death experience had created a bond.

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Annabeth and Nico become like old sewing maids. They didn't just chat, they'd gossip. Sit underneath a parasol at the beach, drooling- no watching- their extremely hot boyfriends play in the water and sand, and talk. Sometimes they'd play cards, chess became a common pastime. Annabeth found a suitable chess opponent and Nico someone to nerd out with over various books and comics.

Annabeth still saw bits and parts of the old Nico in him, the naive boy, still unmarred by his sister's death. She gets nostalgic for those times, when she hadn't seen all that she had seen and when she hadn't been traumatized to the point of flinching at an animal she had loved for years or flinching at the sight of her mom.

Nico understands how she feels, having gone through similar phases, and tries to comfort her. He tells her stupid jokes- not as stupid as her boyfriend's though- to get her to laugh and lets her rant about architecture.

They don't become as close to each other as to other people but their bond is still there.

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At first, Nico and Percy were kind of awkward near each other, though it was mainly Percy's fault. The boy didn't really know how to talk to his cousin. But after an emergency (one that involved water, a book, an angry girlfriend, and hiding in the Hades cabin), they became close. Real cousins. Pranks, stupid fights, hiding each other from their angry significant others (or annoyances as Nico insists). Long talks, inside jokes, fun times. Nico's crush was long forgotten, their awkwardness banished. They became as thick as thieves.

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**I hope you guys liked it! Also, thank you so much for the reviews! They mean so much to me! Wow, too many exclamation points. Sorry this is so short.**

**Until next time! Hopefully I won't post in another month and a half.**

**xx Me xx**


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